Portland Ovations knows how to build a buzz: Gather a loyal fan base, let them mingle in anticipation, gush about the season to come, and send them home with catalogs and discounts.
“I’m all ears,” said Portland Ovations member Kevin Regan of Lisbon Falls.
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He was one of about 175 members and guests at a preview party to hear about the 2014-2015 season. Starting tomorrow, members have three weeks to buy tickets before sales open to the general public June 23.
“This is the most exciting moment,” said executive director Aimee Petrin. “Our members are the backbone of our organization. They’re the ones who come again and again.”
The annual member preview party is part celebration, part member perk, part thank-you, part call to action to buy tickets.
This season, showgoers can be taken back to medieval Spain, with “Sacred Bridge” by the Boston Camerata with Sharq Arabic Music Ensemble. Or they can be transported to 1960s New Orleans with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Or they can go nowhere at all with a theatrical modern dance production set in an airport, with “The Queue” by Lucky Plush.
“Almost everything Portland Ovations brings is wonderful,” said Melodye DeBeradinis, a Broadway fan from Scarborough.
Broadway enthusiasts have four national touring acts to pick from: “Sister Act,” “Million Dollar Quartet,” “Memphis” and, returning to Portland, “Mamma Mia!”
“My husband I are huge fans of Ovations,” said Lynn Shaffer, a new board member from Cape Elizabeth. “We’re pretty eclectic in our tastes but are huge dance fans. And Aimee has done a fabulous job of bringing all sorts of dance companies to Portland.”
“I’m so ecstatic that another ballet is coming through,” said Mary Campbell, director of development for Portland Ovations, talking about the Moscow City Ballet’s “Swan Lake.” “It’s my pick for the year.”
Board member Amy Taylor, a former tap dancer, is really excited is Savion Glover’s “STePz,” a joyful celebration of dance.
Member Naoko Jaskulski of Portland left the preview excited by the video clip of “the three guys from Pakistan,” the musical group known as Khumariuyaan. “It’s just very fresh,” she said.
“We are very fortunate in Portland to have Ovations bringing the best of the best,” said Nick Nadzo, a former board president. “If Ovations brings a violinist and you don’t like the show, it’s because you don’t like violin.”
Building on the trust it has built as a curator of shows worth seeing, Portland Ovations is introducing a new genre it is calling Innovations. “These shows push boundaries and defy categorization,” Petrin said.
First up is “The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller,” a “live documentary” by filmmaker Sam Green and indie rock band Yo La Tengo honoring the inventor of the geodesic dome.
Then there’s “Reinventing Radio,” an evening with radio storyteller Ira Glass, whose podcast “This American Life” has 2.1 million weekly listeners.
Finally, there’s “Basetrack,” a gripping look at individual stories as part of the collective experience of Marines overseas. The program grew out of a Facebook page by photojournalist Teru Kuwayama, evolving into a multimedia show with a live quintet, narration and projected images.
For more information, see www.portlandovations.org.
Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at:
amyparadysz@gmail.com
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